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Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Is your party caucus in Washington accessible?

As you may have noticed, there’s no presidential primary in Washington State. Instead, voters state their preference for presidential candidates by attending their party caucuses.

On March 3, the Republicans held their party caucuses. Now, the Democrats are scheduled to hold their party caucuses – this coming Sunday, April 15.

If you attend the Democratic caucus, please fill out the survey below (also available on the DRW website ( www.disabilityrightswa.org ). If you attended the Republican caucus last month, it is not too late to turn in a completed survey.

The survey is a non-partisan effort to collect information that will help parties make their activities more accessible to voters with disabilities.

Thanks!

2012 Political Party Caucus Accessibility Survey

Survey purpose. We are seeking information about the accessibility of political party caucuses for party members with disabilities. We plan to provide the results of this survey to the political parties for their use in identifying and removing barriers to access and improve responses to requests for accommodation.

Survey sponsors. This survey is being conducted by Disability Rights Washington (DRW), Disability Business Technical Assistance Center Northwest (DBTAC Northwest), Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues and Employment (GCDE), and the State Independent Living Council (SILC).

Directions. If you wish to participate in this survey, simply attend the caucus for your preferred political party, and return the survey. You can print out this survey, fill it out, and mail it to DRW or you can e-mail it to DRW.

1. Information about access? Were you able to obtain the information you needed about the accessibility of the caucus location or how to get an accommodation? Example: Did the party provide a contact for requesting an accommodation? Was the website announcing the caucus accessible to you?

2. Transportation? Was it difficult to get to the caucus? Example: Was public transportation available to the site? Was assistance available to carpool? Was there sufficient accessible parking available?

3. Accessible route to the caucus? Could you get from parking to the caucus room without difficulty? Example: Were there steps? If you use a wheelchair, was there room to maneuver? Please identify any barriers.

4. Full Participation in caucus? Were you able to fully participate in the caucus? Please indicate any examples of actions that were taken that made the caucus more accessible, as well as barriers to access. Examples: Were accommodations provided so you could hear the discussion? Was written material in a format you could read? Were you able to participate in the delegate selection voting and discussion? If not, why not?

5. Participate in party activities? Are you able to participate in other party activities you heard about at the caucus? Examples: Will you be able to attend the party convention as a delegate?

6. Other concerns or positive comments? Please provide any additional information about the accessibility of the caucus you attended that you think is relevant.

Location and DatePlease identify the location of the caucus you attended:Date of Caucus:

OptionalThe following information will not be disclosed without your permission.

Your name:

If you wish to be provided with the results of this survey, please provide the following: